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Join me for a Virtual Town Hall Next Monday

Dear friends and neighbors,

Please join Sen. Alvarado, Rep. Thomas, and I for a virtual town hall next Monday, February 23^rd from 6-7PM. We’ll take questions and give an update on our work so far this session. You can submit questions ahead of time here, and you can watch the stream on Facebook or YouTube (you don’t need an account to watch the stream on either platform).

If you have any accessibility needs, please contact my office with ‘Accessibility’ in the subject line.

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Legislative Update: Session so far, protecting Washingtonians, combatting climate change

Dear friends and neighbors, The 2026 session kicked off earlier this month. It’s a short session this year, only 60 days, and it’s off to a fast start. Before session I sat down with the Seattle Channel to talk about our state budget, the impact of HR 1 and other federal cuts, and how we can create a tax system that works better for the people of our state. Unfortunately, dealing with callous-to-malevolent actions from the Trump administration is a big part of our work so far this year. It’s a concern for our budget, where HR 1 will force us to pay more in administrative costs in order to get less for the people of our state. It’s a concern with access to democracy, which is why I sponsored HJR 4209 which would allow mid-cycle redistricting if another state does so first. Washington state is not going to just sit by while Donald Trump and his allies in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio seek to rig the US House to lock in a Republican majority. I’m also deeply concerned about the ICE activity we’re seeing in Minnesota and across the country. We’re doing what we can at the state level to protect Washingtonians should we see the same tactics here. I’m a cosponsor on a number of these bills including ones to prevent federal law enforcement officers from wearing facial coverings to conceal their identities, increase immigrant worker protections, and limit data sharing from license plate cameras like Flock cameras. I’m also supportive of legislation preventing ICE from entering places like schools, childcare facilities, or hospitals without a warrant. While the current federal administration is taking us backward in the fight against climate change, we’re continuing our work on clean air and water for future generations. One way we’re doing that is HB 1607, which would improve the recycling system for glass, plastic, and metal beverage containers in our state and encourage more re-use of recycled materials. I’m also committed to maintaining our state’s Climate Commitment Act investments in fighting climate change, something the voters supported at the ballot in 2024. There’s a lot more going on, so as always please reach out to my office with any questions or concerns that you have.

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Join us tonight for a 34th LD Telephone Town Hall

Dear friends and neighbors,

We’re hosting a telephone town hall tonight at 6:00PM and we want to hear from you! We’ll be joined by Sen. Alvarado to give an update on our work so far and answer any questions you might have.

Calls will automatically go out to most constituents in the 34^th Legislative District, if you’re called you can join the town hall just by answering and staying on the line. If you don’t get a call you can also call in: dial 855-756-7520 and use extension 120781# to participate.

If you want to submit your questions in advance you can do that here, and if you would benefit from closed captioning or ASL interpretation both will be available through a zoom meeting here.

We’re looking forward to talking with you and answering your questions!

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Legislative Update: Cutoffs, the budget, and a telephone town hall

Dear friends and neighbors,

We’re wrapping up the seventh week of this year’s legislative session and have reached the second big deadline for bills this year.

Today is fiscal cutoff, which means that any bill with a fiscal impact needs to pass out of a fiscal committee (like the House Appropriations Committee, on which I serve) or the Senate Ways & Means Committee by the end of the day to continue through the process. I’ve spent a lot of time this week working with my colleagues to closely consider each bill.

You may have heard about the budget deficit that we face in Washington this year. We’ve been working over the last couple months to identify places that we can reduce spending without hurting the people of our state. This week we rolled out a website to help show what would be at risk in an all-cuts budget. Some of these cuts are really painful, and very few are cuts that we would want to make. For example – $750 million in cuts to higher education; eliminating Medicaid coverage for kidney dialysis, pharmaceuticals, and family planning; cutting care for the elderly, people with developmental disabilities, and children; and reducing food assistance for low-income people.

That is why I believe we need a balanced approach to the state budget. We are focused on making the least harmful cuts possible and looking at asking certain wealthy people and businesses to pay their fair share. For example, there are no taxes collected on rental storage units in Washington or on gold bullion. Washington has one of the most regressive tax systems in the nation. As a percent of their income, the poorest Washingtonians pay significantly more than the billionaires in our state. We will seek to make budget choices that protect services Washingtonians rely on, like public education, public safety, and health care.

I have heard from many of you about bills that are important to you. A few bills that I am cosponsoring and that I have heard from constituents about that are moving forward:

• HB 1296, protecting the privacy of students in our public schools.
• HB 1483, making it easier and cheaper for Washingtonians to repair digital electronic products like smartphones and computers by providing options other than paying the original manufacturer for the repair work.
• HB 1837, laying out a plan to improve Amtrak passenger rail service to Portland and Vancouver.
• HB 1923, helping connect more Puget Sound communities with passenger ferries by authorizing more local governments to provide passenger ferry service.

Please continue to let me know about bills you are excited to see moving through the process as well as bills that give you concern.

I also want to invite you to join Sen. Alvarado, Rep. Thomas, and me for a telephone town hall on Monday, March 17 at 6:00 p.m. If you don’t automatically receive a call, you can join by calling 855-756-7520 and entering extension 120781#. We’ll be on to provide updates about the session so far and take your questions live. I’m looking forward to it!

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Legislative Update: Session so far, media availabilities, legislator profiles

Dear friends and neighbors,

We’re wrapping up the fifth week of this year’s legislative session, and I wanted to pass along an update on what’s happening in the state House. Right now, most of our work is focused on committee hearings. These are the first stop for almost every single bill.

Hearings give legislators a chance to ask questions, propose amendments, or hear from people like you before moving a bill to the next step in the process. In order to organize our time, we also set deadlines for bills to pass out of committee. For policy committees, that deadline is next Friday, February 21^st.

My office receives a lot of emails from 34^th District constituents who write me to share their support or opposition to various bills. I want you to know I do read your feedback and my office does our best to respond to those who reach out to us. I thought I would share a few of the bills I’ve been receiving emails about lately:

• HB 1721 would allow zero-emission vehicle manufacturers to sell directly to consumers. I’m a cosponsor of this legislation. It was heard earlier today and is scheduled to be voted on in the House Consumer Protection & Business committee next week. The emails I have received from constituents are supportive of this bill.
• HB 1584 would end our state’s universal vote by mail system. I am opposed to this legislation, as are the vast majority of emails my office has been getting on it. It’s not currently scheduled for a hearing or a vote in committee. Our House leadership (which includes me, as Majority Leader) is committed to expanding voting access for Washingtonians, not rolling it back. We are not the only state seeing attacks on voting rights, but we will stand strong against those attacks, and I hope that provides some reassurance.
• HB 1038 would prohibit gender-affirming care for minors. I am strongly opposed to this legislation. Gender-affirming care is life-saving, and we will continue to protect access to it here in Washington state. This is also something the Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader in the Senate talked about at a media availability last week. My office is hearing from youth and parents who are extremely concerned that denying this care would cause great harm to those who need it. I want to reassure anyone who is worried that this bill will not receive a hearing and will not advance.

Media Availabilities

As Majority Leader, I occasionally represent the House Democratic Caucus at our weekly media availabilities with Senate leadership. This is time for us to answer questions from reporters, and it’s broadcast on TVW for everyone to watch. This week, we were asked about topics like rent stabilization, funding for cities and counties – especially related to public safety – budget development, school bonds, and more. You can watch the whole thing here.

Legislator Profiles

TVW also puts together profiles every year to help people learn more about their representatives. In mine, I talk a little bit about my role as Majority Leader, the kind of policies I focus on, and spending as much time as possible with my eight-month-old daughter (who has already tagged along to a few meetings with me). It’s a short video, only about a minute long, and you can watch it here.

Thanks for reading!

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Kicking off the 2025 Legislative Session & How to get Involved

Dear friends and neighbors, This week we kicked off the 2025 Legislative Session! What does that mean? We have a part-time state legislature that works on a two-year cycle, alternating between long and short sessions. This year is the first year of a new biennium, which means it’s a long session year. We’ll be down in Olympia for 105 days passing legislation and putting together our state’s biennial budget. I’m looking forward to the work and am grateful for the opportunity to serve you all again this year. In case you missed it, I also had a chance to join some of my colleagues for an interview with the Seattle Channel last week, we talked about how we’re thinking about the investments in our state budget, evaluating and expanding climate protections, and more. Check it out here.

There are a lot of different ways that you can be involved in the work down in Olympia. As always, you can reach out to my office by phone (360) 786-7952 or email. You can also watch committee hearings on TVW, comment on a bill, or testify either remotely or in-person. You can read about how a bill becomes a law, or you can watch a video about it instead (in English or Spanish). If you have questions, please reach out!

Thanks for reading!

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Legislative Update: Session kickoff, what we’re up to, and staying in touch

Dear friends and neighbors,

Earlier this month we kicked off the 2024 Legislative Session! Every year we alternate between a short session, which is 60 days, or a long session, which is 105 days. This year is a short session, and it’s off to a fast start. We were ready to pass bills off the floor starting day one, and we’ve been busy with committee hearings and more floor action since then. We’ve got more updates in our sections below. We’ve also added some (hopefully) helpful information for folks looking to get involved in our work. Like we said, this session will go fast, but we’re excited to work hard on your behalf.

Thanks for reading-

A Note from Emily

Helping the people of Washington have access to quality and affordable housing and childcare remains the focus of my second session in Olympia.

At a time when working families and older adults are facing real economic pressures, we can provide some stability in the single greatest cost in a household budget — housing costs. My HB 2114 will stabilize renters by stopping excessive rent increases, lowering the costs and fees associated with getting new housing, and providing greater predictability for millions of renters in the district and state.

Improving access to quality childcare is good for families and necessary for our economy. My HB 1945 will streamline access to quality childcare to families who qualify for food assistance. I am sponsoring HB 1969 to increase access to homecare for seniors and people with disabilities, by making it easier for family members to be home care providers.

I am also working with my colleagues to pass policies to prevent gun violence and prioritize investments in public education. As you can see, we’ve got a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. Please don’t hesitate to reach out and tell your stories so we can continue to pass legislation that will change lives.

 

A Note from Joe

There’s a lot of great work happening this session and I wanted to share more on some of the bills I’m particularly excited about.

We know that it’ll take a lot of different policies working together to address our housing crisis. One of the other ideas we’re working on is co-living housing, like small apartments with shared kitchen spaces, which create more flexible and affordable options for multi-family housing. HB 1998 by Rep. Gregerson would set standards for and legalize the development of co-living housing statewide, you can read more about it here.

We’re also working on public safety, similar to housing there’s a lot of different pieces that will come together to help create safer communities, one example is Rep. Ryu’s legislation to help address and prevent catalytic converter theft.

Rep. Riccelli has a bill that would help preserve access to preventative health care services without cost sharing. That includes things like immunizations, blood pressure screenings, lung cancer screenings, and more.

In the labor space, Rep. Fosse’s HB 1940 prevents employers from punishing workers that refuse to attend or participate in “captive audience” meetings. These are meetings held by employers explicitly to communicate religious or political matters, and aren’t related to the employee’s work, so we think employees should be able to choose if it’s the best use of their time.

Stay Engaged this Session

Stay Engaged this Session

• Learn — Curious about how the legislative process works? You can watch a start-to-finish overview by clicking here. If you prefer text instead, click here.
• Watch — TVW.org broadcasts all legislative debates, votes, committee hearings and other events in the House and Senate. There’s also an extensive archive of past events if you can’t watch it live. Check out TVW’s “Legislative Review” for a quick recap of everything that’s happened each day of session.
• Research — Find detailed information about legislation by lawmaker or topic by clicking here.
• Testify — Share your thoughts on legislation! This session, you’ll be able to testify in person, remotely or in writing based on what’s easiest for you. Click here for more information on how to testify.

You can find the contact info for our offices in the footer below 

Contact Rep. Emily Alvarado: 425 John L. O’Brien ● PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA
98504 ● Send me an email  ● (360) 786-7978

Contact Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon: 339A Legislative Building ● PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA
98504 ● Send me an email ● (360) 786-7952

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Legislative Update: Budget Proposals and Another Session Cutoff

Dear friends and neighbors,

We wanted to reach out with an update on our work as we approach the end of session. The House and Senate have both proposed their budgets (more details about the House proposals below!) and we’ve moved into negotiations on a final plan. We also just crossed one of the last major cutoffs for this session, where bills had to pass out of the opposite chamber. For the next week we’ll be focused on wrapping up bills that were changed in the Senate and passing our budget proposals.

Note from Emily Washington needs to build over a million homes in the next 20 years to keep up with demand—and 500,000 of those need to be affordable for our low-income family members, friends and neighbors. Not only do we need to make it easier to build modest housing options of all shapes and sizes to boost our supply of homes, we need to take purposeful action to ensure these options are actually affordable to the families that need them. I’ve spent my career focused on providing affordable housing to some of our state’s most vulnerable, and I’m proud to continue that work here in the Legislature. I recently had the opportunity to talk about the work we’re doing to solve Washington’s housing crisis on both KUOW and the Capitol Ideas podcast. Give them a listen! I’m also pleased to report that several of my sponsored bills have passed both chambers, including HB 1200 to improve union representation for workers; HB 1260 to end the practice of requiring seniors and those with work-limiting disabilities to repay state benefits when they transition to federal disability benefits; HB 1694 to strengthen our home care workforce; and HB 1695 to use surplus property for permanently affordable homeownership. But that’s not all we’re doing to support Washington’s seniors, working people and families. The House-passed operating budget includes over $9.4 million for childcare providers who operate during non-standard hours to provide better childcare access for parents who work outside of the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule. And we prioritized investments in early learning, behavioral health, and K-12 public education. I’m hopeful that these investments will remain in the final version of the budget we expect to pass this week!

Note from Joe As I mentioned in our first newsletter this session, my new role as Majority Leader has changed my approach to this job in a couple ways. As a part of our caucus’s leadership team I help shepherd all the bills we pass in the House through the Senate. I also help negotiate our operating budget, working with other members in the caucus to come up with a proposal (more on that below!) and then working with the Senate to come up with a final package. The trade-off for being involved in this work is that I have less time to focus on running bills of my own. This year I only sponsored one bill, HB 1216, to help ensure that we’re able to build the clean energy facilities we need to power our clean energy transition. I’m happy to say it’s passed out of the Senate and I’m looking forward to wrapping up work on it in the House before sending it to the Governor to sign.

This year, our proposed operating budget makes significant investments to support equity, improve access to vital services, protect the environment, reduce poverty and homelessness, promote public safety, and ensure that individuals and families have the support they need to thrive.

$1.3 billion investment for behavioral health: we’re supporting access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment and recovery services, including increased rates for providers and investments in behavioral health beds. This investment also prioritizes care for vulnerable populations, such as children with complex needs, and supports the workers who provide these critical services.

The House construction budget also supports families in here in the 34^th, including funding for the Evergreen Treatment Services substance use treatment center, SeaMar Community Health Centers, and Seattle Indian Health Board’s Thunderbird Treatment Center on Vashon.

$1.9 billion for k-12 education: we’re providing fair and equal opportunities for all students, by ensuring educators are compensated and supported, supporting students with disabilities through special education funding, and providing free meals to help students focus and succeed.

$991 million for public health and healthcare: we are committed to equity, access to healthcare services, and the protection of public health during emergencies. By providing affordable healthcare options for low-income families and adequate compensation for healthcare providers, the state is working to ensure that everyone has access to the care they need.

$608 million for childcare and early learning: we’re promoting equity and access to quality care for children, particularly those from low-income families and in kinship care. This investment supports ECEAP rates and slots, family care provider collective bargaining, and kinship caregivers, which can improve the availability and affordability of childcare, and help children develop social, emotional, and cognitive skills, which are crucial for their future success.

$528 million for housing and homelessness: everyone needs a home. We’re providing comprehensive support to individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or financial hardship through increased funding for homeless and housing service contracts, providing housing and essential needs, expanding encampment response, and supporting local government planning for housing, children, and youth homelessness.

$491 million for poverty reduction: we’re prioritizing the values of economic justice and equity by providing support for low-income working families through the Working Families Tax Credit, access to nutritious food through food assistance, financial assistance for families facing hardship, and comprehensive support through changes to TANF.

$1.9 billion for long-term care and developmental disabilities: we’re increasing rates for nursing home and home care workers, supporting adult family homes, and facilitating transitions out of acute care hospitals can help to ensure that individuals with disabilities and those in need of long-term care receive high-quality, compassionate care and support.

The House construction budget also included funding for a couple arts programs in the 34^th district, including the Vashon Center for the Arts, Highland Park Improvement Club, and the Creative Youth Empowerment Hub in downtown Seattle, which is a BIPOC and Native-led youth arts space.

Thanks for reading!

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Legislative Update: Kicking off the 2023 Session

Dear friends and neighbors,

Last month we kicked off the 2023 Legislative Session. We wanted to send you a quick note to highlight some of our biggest priorities for the year, as well as some great ways to stay engaged along the way. It continues to be a privilege to represent all of you in the 34th district – never hesitate to reach out to us if there’s anything we can do to better support you or your family.

A Note from Emily

Washington needs strong reforms to dismantle systemic injustices so that every family has a chance to thrive. That starts with the basics: high-quality early learning and public education, economic justice for working people, and access to affordable, permanent housing for all. Without these essentials, far too many Washington families get trapped in a cycle of poverty that is almost impossible to escape.

I hope to use my time here in Olympia to change that.

This session, I’ll be serving as Vice Chair of both the Housing & Local Government Committees, as well as a member of the Capital Budget committee.

I believe we have the opportunity to make real progress this legislative session, but only if we have the courage to take bold action. I hope you’ll join us as we begin this new journey together.

 

A Note from Joe

With the 2023 Legislative Session under way I have an update to pass along-

My colleagues have trusted me to serve as the new House Majority Leader. This means I’ll help lead the House Democratic Caucus, including intensive work on our proposed budget and caucus-wide priorities.

Some of the biggest things on our agenda this year are housing, behavioral health, climate change, workforce growth and development, and criminal justice reform. I know these are broad categories, so expect more detailed information as we get further into session.

I’m also excited to have Rep. Alvarado joining our legislative delegation and look forward to working together for you.

Stay Engaged this Session

Thanks for reading!

– Emily and Joe

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Reducing greenhouse gas pollution & prioritizing transformative transportation investments

Dear friends and neighbors,

The 2021 legislative session was a landmark year in the fight against climate change. During the short 2022 session, we continued that work by passing legislation targeting greenhouse gas pollution from landfills & buildings. With the climate crisis upon us, we must do all we can to protect Washingtonians from the harms of climate change, air pollution, and environmental degradation.

Climate Commitment Act

Last year, we began Washington’s transition to a cleaner, greener energy future by enacting carbon pricing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This session, we are accelerating implementation and ensuring Washington’s tribes have a larger role in charting the future. We’ve now built a model for our states and other countries to follow to reduce greenhouse gas pollution around the globe.

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Pollution

This session, we invested over $714 million to help reduce emissions and promote climate resiliency throughout the state, including more than $100 million to build electric vehicle charging infrastructure and another $58 million for solar energy infrastructure projects that benefit low-income communities.

I was also proud to co-sponsor or champion several bills to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, fight climate change, and transition to a clean energy future:

• HB 1280 ensures we consider clean all-electric building options for new public facilities.
• HB 1619 expands energy efficiency standards to more household appliances to reduce pollution and energy costs for Washington households.
• HB 1663 requires large municipal landfills to reduce methane emissions by capturing it before it pollutes our atmosphere.
• HB 1799 reduces methane emissions by helping to redirect our surplus food to families who need it, while repurposing organic waste for composting at local farms and reducing plastic contamination in the compost stream.
• HB 1768 makes it easier to complete public energy conservation projects that pay for themselves with the energy savings.
• SB 5722 sponsored by our own Sen. Joe Nguyen, helps us reduce greenhouse gas pollution and energy costs for low-income families by improving energy efficiency & performance in existing buildings.
• SB 5910 speeds up the availability and use of renewable hydrogen.

Transformative Transportation Investments

This year, we also passed historic transportation investments to meet urgent transportation needs for the 34th district. Thanks to our federal and local partners, the West Seattle Bridge is on track to reopen later this year. New state transportation investments will complement this work by accelerating transit projects in our communities such as King County Metro’s upcoming RapidRide bus service on Ambaum, 16th, and Delridge.

We prioritized improving the reliability of the ferry system, constructing new ferries, and enabling them to run on electricity instead of diesel fuel that pollutes our air and our climate. We invested in improving safety for pedestrians and bicyclists in communities that have historically seen underinvestment, such as White Center, and significantly increased grant programs to fund safe infrastructure such as safe walking and biking routes for kids to get to school. Finally, we took big steps forward in planning for a future high speed rail system connecting Seattle with Portland and Vancouver, BC.

Election Year Communication Restrictions

Each election year, there are certain restrictions on legislator communications to prevent the use of state resources for election purposes. These restrictions include a freeze on my legislative Facebook account and my legislative webpage, meaning these pages cannot be updated beginning May 16, 2022, until after the general election in November.

But I’m still here to help! Please continue to reach out to me or my office directly by clicking here or (564) 888-2362 if there’s anything I can do to assist you or your family. You’ll also be able to find loads of information and access to state & local resources on my website → housedemocrats.wa.gov/fitzgibbon.

Thanks for reading!

Joe Fitzgibbon

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